‘Disappointed and surprised' – Darts legend sends Luke Littler warning after ‘strange comment'
Phil Lanning, Darts writer
Published: Invalid Date,
LEGEND Colin Lloyd admitted he would be "disappointed and surprised" if Luke Littler withdrew from the World Cup of Darts.
Reigning World champion Littler and World No.1 Luke Humphries are scheduled to represent England at the Eissporthalle in Frankfurt.
2
However, Littler recently hinted he would not be appearing at the event in June.
Following his semi-final defeat at the German Grand Prix, 'The Nuke' shared a cryptic message to social media.
Teen sensation Littler's reaction to losing to Gian Van Veen suggested he would not be playing in Germany until the European Championships in October.
Posting a picture of the inside of his car, he wrote: "Shouldn't have been in Munich but had to play anyway.
"Next one in Germany for me is Dortmund and I am glad to say that."
Two-time major winner Lloyd reacted to Littler's post and told talkSPORT: "It was a strange comment.
"I can't see him not wearing an England shirt.
'I'll be disappointed and surprised if he didn't, because those opportunities don't come along very often, the number one and number two player in the world (pairing up).
BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK
'Them sort of days were like Eric Bristow and John Lowe, so you're going back to the 80s, and that was a formidable partnership.
"They won umpteen World Cup events.
Luke Littler lands new role as darts star teams up with Deliveroo to find the best kebab in the country
'I can't see that Luke (Littler) will not take the opportunity to partner up with Luke (Humphries) for the World Cup of Darts, I can't see it.
"Listen, he might do. MVG pulled out of it."
Stephen Bunting is next in line to partner Humphries if Littler withdraws.
The World Cup of Darts pairs the top two available players from the PDC Order of Merit.
Bunting is currently ranked fourth in the world, with Humphries and Littler the top two players across the last two years.
Rob Cross is 'The Bullet's' nearest challenger for the reserve spot as the world number five.
The official pairings will be confirmed by the PDC on May 13, a month before the event gets underway.
England are the defending champions after Humphries and Michael Smith claimed a fifth title for their nation last year.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Guardian
an hour ago
- South Wales Guardian
England T20 captain Harry Brook: I'm already preparing for 2026 World Cup
Friday's 21-run win over the West Indies in Durham was Brook's first outing as skipper in the format but he knows time is short to get his feet under the table. England have just 14 more games scheduled before the next global tournament in India and Sri Lanka in February, meaning the time is now when it comes to making plans. Dip. Grip. Past the edge 😮💨 Back in the team 🦁Straight in the wickets 👏 Liam Dawson | #ENGvWI — England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 6, 2025 That meant lining up with just two seamers for the first ever time in home conditions, with 12 overs of spin giving a hint at the structure England are likely to lean on in the sub-continent. While Brook's predecessor Jos Buttler set things up with a dominant knock of 96, Liam Dawson walked away with the player-of-the-match award in his first international appearance in nearly three years. The 35-year-old Hampshire stalwart claimed career-best figures of four for 20, while there were also wickets for Adil Rashid and Jacob Bethell. 'We don't want to look too far ahead but we've got to trial some things like this,' said Brook. 'The next World Cup is going to be in Sri Lanka and India. We're not completely set on this structure for the team but it's worth a go and it worked this time. 'I just think that having two very good spinners – frontline spinners – makes a massive difference. 'As a batter, when you're facing two experienced spin bowlers, you have to decide which end you're going to attack. 'These two (Rashid and Dawson) have been playing the game for so long, they know T20 cricket, they know the grounds and they've played against so many of these boys, that having them both in the side will help us going forward.' Dawson, who has been overlooked consistently for a rotating cast of spinners with inferior records on the county circuit, was praised for an 'awesome' comeback performance that saw him get the best of Johnson Charles, Sherfane Rutherford, Roston Chase and Rovman Powell. 'He bowled beautifully. He's got so many skills. He's been playing the game for pushing on 20 years and he's learned a lot of things along the way,' said Brook. The West Indies were frustrated to be missing one of their own left-arm spinners on a helpful pitch for the slower bowlers. Akeal Hosein has yet to make it to English soil after delays related a change in UK visa requirements for Trinidad and Tobago. Cricket West Indies said 'attempts to expedite the visa process' had been unsuccessful but a spokesperson confirmed on Friday that the 32-year-old could arrive ahead of Tuesday's series finale in Southampton. One of our greatest white-ball players ever 🙌 Match Highlights: | @JosButtler — England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 6, 2025 All-rounder Jason Holder said: 'He was missed, he's one of our frontline players. It's an unfortunate situation. 'We can't control that so we can only control what's in front of us. We've got players here who are willing and able to do a job for the West Indies. 'We had a team that was good enough to beat England but we fell a little short, particularly with the bat.'
South Wales Argus
2 hours ago
- South Wales Argus
Confidence is growing within Republic of Ireland squad
Kasey McAteer marked his first start for the Irish by giving them the lead in the first half but Crystal Palace's Ismaila Sarr struck with nine minutes remaining as it finished honours even. Hallgrimsson, though, took heart from how his side carried out his vision to largely stifle a Senegal side who are now 21 matches unbeaten and ranked 19th in the FIFA world rankings. A strong performance from the boys but tonight's friendly ends in a draw 🤝 — Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) June 6, 2025 That is 41 places higher than the Republic's current position, having been as high as 28th in October 2019, but Hallgrimsson senses this is a side on the up after making it three games without a defeat. 'There were times where we defended without the ball, we made them look quite average,' Hallgrimsson said. 'But I'm mostly happy that they didn't create a lot of goalscoring chances. 'Let's be honest, we're not one of the best teams in the world and this is how we need to play against teams that will dominate possession. 'We need to wait for our chances and take them when they come. In this area, confidence is growing. 'We will need to be patient, these steps are taken small steps at a time but this was really pleasing because if we wouldn't have done this as well as we did, we would have suffered against this team.' Kasey McAteer marked his first international start with a goal (Evan Treacy/PA) The Republic travel to Luxembourg on Tuesday in their final outing before beginning their qualifying campaign for the 2026 World Cup, with Portugal, Hungry and Armenia their opponents. Hallgrimsson was especially pleased with the display of Leicester's McAteer, who scored his first goal for the Irish in the 21st minute when firing in the rebound after his initial header had been kept out. 'If you've watched Kasey, he got a run for Leicester at the end of the season so you can see his club progress and he brought that into the national team,' Hallgrimsson said. 'That's always the answer you would like to have when you try out new players. 'It was a really good first start for him. He's a confident player on the ball, he has speed, good dribbling technique and if we can isolate him going one v one, that is his strength. Ismaila Sarr (centre) levelled for Senegal (Evan Treacy/PA) 'He's just a clever footballer with a good football brain; he knows where to pass the ball and not to pass the ball, etc.' A Senegal side without star names such as Sadio Mane and Kalidou Koulibaly levelled from close range through Sarr, with Hallgrimsson lamenting the absence of VAR as he felt the FA Cup winner was offside. 'VAR probably would have given it offside but we knew VAR was not in-house so we cannot complain,' the Icelander added. 'I think the referees did a good job, there was a really good flow in the game, so I was happy.'
Powys County Times
2 hours ago
- Powys County Times
Confidence is growing within Republic of Ireland squad
Republic of Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson believes 'confidence is growing' within his side after a 1-1 draw against Senegal at the Aviva Stadium. Kasey McAteer marked his first start for the Irish by giving them the lead in the first half but Crystal Palace's Ismaila Sarr struck with nine minutes remaining as it finished honours even. Hallgrimsson, though, took heart from how his side carried out his vision to largely stifle a Senegal side who are now 21 matches unbeaten and ranked 19th in the FIFA world rankings. A strong performance from the boys but tonight's friendly ends in a draw 🤝 — Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) June 6, 2025 That is 41 places higher than the Republic's current position, having been as high as 28th in October 2019, but Hallgrimsson senses this is a side on the up after making it three games without a defeat. 'There were times where we defended without the ball, we made them look quite average,' Hallgrimsson said. 'But I'm mostly happy that they didn't create a lot of goalscoring chances. 'Let's be honest, we're not one of the best teams in the world and this is how we need to play against teams that will dominate possession. 'We need to wait for our chances and take them when they come. In this area, confidence is growing. 'We will need to be patient, these steps are taken small steps at a time but this was really pleasing because if we wouldn't have done this as well as we did, we would have suffered against this team.' The Republic travel to Luxembourg on Tuesday in their final outing before beginning their qualifying campaign for the 2026 World Cup, with Portugal, Hungry and Armenia their opponents. Hallgrimsson was especially pleased with the display of Leicester's McAteer, who scored his first goal for the Irish in the 21st minute when firing in the rebound after his initial header had been kept out. 'If you've watched Kasey, he got a run for Leicester at the end of the season so you can see his club progress and he brought that into the national team,' Hallgrimsson said. 'That's always the answer you would like to have when you try out new players. 'It was a really good first start for him. He's a confident player on the ball, he has speed, good dribbling technique and if we can isolate him going one v one, that is his strength. 'He's just a clever footballer with a good football brain; he knows where to pass the ball and not to pass the ball, etc.' A Senegal side without star names such as Sadio Mane and Kalidou Koulibaly levelled from close range through Sarr, with Hallgrimsson lamenting the absence of VAR as he felt the FA Cup winner was offside. 'VAR probably would have given it offside but we knew VAR was not in-house so we cannot complain,' the Icelander added. 'I think the referees did a good job, there was a really good flow in the game, so I was happy.'
